A Couple's Christmas
by emergency-fan-51
Summary: It's CR-S01 and Maria's first Christmas together as a couple, and Maria is having doubts about her gift to the surgeon. What exactly do you get someone with so few memories? Just some CRxMaria fluff for a Secret Santa on deviantArt. Happy holidays!


A whispered swear escaped Maria's lips as she ran to answer the door, doing up the last few buttons of her dark green dress as she reached the entrance of her small home. Of _course_ he was early. She'd needed that five minutes, darn it. She grabbed the doorknob roughly then stopped and took a deep breath in a vain attempt to look a little less out of sorts. The paramedic unconsciously hid behind the door as she slowly opened it to the chilly air outside.

Wearing a classy dark red dress-shirt and black jacket with matching slacks, her guest looked considerably classier than she did. And _way_ sexier. That small smile of his only complimented CR-S01's appearance. "Good evening, Maria."

"Hi."

The two stared awkwardly at each other for a moment, then CR hesitantly asked, "Can I come in?"

"Y-yeah. Come in." Maria kept her body behind the door as she pulled it the rest of the way open, letting CR inside. She uncomfortably adjusted her dress after shutting the door, closing them off from the world outside. It was just her and... well, 'that prisoner dude' obviously didn't fit him anymore. There was only one name that came to mind, but she couldn't bring herself to even say it in her head. They'd only been together for a month or so, it didn't feel right to call him the b-word just yet.

CR-S01's crimson eyes widened a little when he turned around and saw her. "You're wearing a dress?"

Maria's cheeks flushed, completely without her permission. "Of course I am, moron! It's a special occasion, I'm allowed to dress up!"

"Th-that's not what I meant!" he exclaimed, eyes opening even wider. "It's just that I've never seen you in one before! You look really good!" Maria saw a hint of pink stain his cheeks as the compliment slipped out of his mouth. Evidently he hadn't planned on saying that. He stood stiffly in the middle of the room, one hand nervously holding his arm. _'Even when he's flustered, he's still cute...'_ Maria thought to herself. Trying to shoo away the stuffy awkwardness filling the room, she invited him to the table she'd set for the two of them.

After a few failed attempts at small talk they finally found a conversation to go with their meal. CR-S01 could tell Maria felt as much of a fish out of water as he did; she'd only insulted him twice since he'd walked in. He'd spontaneously suggested the date the day before, saying that even new couples should spend Christmas together. Her discomfort was making him wonder if he'd been too forward.

Once they were finished eating, CR suggested they move to the couch to exchange gifts.

"Sure. Just a second." CR pretended not to notice the lack of enthusiasm in Maria's voice as she stepped into another room, but it was harder to ignore the way her dress swayed with every step. She _did_ look great in it. For a brief moment he wondered why she didn't wear dresses more often, then he remembered just who he was thinking about; rough, boyish, independent Maria. That fiery spirit was one of the things he loved most about her. Her curvy form didn't help his lovesickness either. Seeing her wear something that didn't make her look so figureless was a rare occurrence, one that he wouldn't soon forget.

As Maria paced back into the room with a tiny gold bag, CR-S01 pulled the box he'd been hiding under his jacket onto his lap. Noticing her hesitation to make eye contact with him, the surgeon asked, "Should I go first?"

"Sure," Maria answered with as much of a nonchalant air as she could manage. She carefully sat down beside him and took the box he offered her. Anticipation and the subtle feeling of excitement of being so close to him blew the uncomfortable atmosphere away like fresh snow. She tore away the festive wrapping a little quicker than she meant to, then pulled off the box's lid to reveal a pair of leather gloves and something orange that looked to be woven. She let her mouth fall open into a grin. "D**n, these are fancy! Is this real leather?"

"Yes, it is. I noticed that you've had your gloves for a while and they're starting to get a little worn, so I bought these."

Maria tried the gloves on delightedly. She held her hands up and turned them back and forth, admiring the way the leather fit her hands so snugly. "These are awesome! I could _definitely_ get used to these!"

CR-S01 smiled shyly back at her. "I'm glad you like them. There's one more thing in the box, though."

"I'm getting to it, geez!" Maria yanked the gloves off and set them aside, turning her attention to the orange object. She curiously removed it from the box and let it unfold into her lap. Her smile slowly drifted from her face as she examined the knitted scarf. The yarn was loose in a few places, and the ends weren't exactly straight, but each row had been elegantly wound together with care and precision.

"I uh... Made this a while ago. Originally I had made it for myself, but I only wore it once. I-I figured you would need it more than I would, since it probably gets pretty cold riding your motorcyle at this time of year and women tend to get colder than men anyways, and I'm used to the cold from the time I spent in prison..." CR's rambling trailed off as Maria wrapped the scarf around her neck and over her nose. "It compliments your eyes..." He mumbled, almost too quietly for her to hear.

_'It smells like him,'_ she thought to herself with a concealed smile.

"Perfect for when I'm racing to a scene," she said, muffled by the scarf. "Thanks."

CR rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, cheeks flushed. "I-I'm glad you like it."

Their eyes locked for a few moments, any sense of unpleasantness completely forgotten. But the smile suddenly dropped from Maria's green eyes, and she stood up and made for the fridge. "Go ahead and look in the bag. You want a beer or something?"

"N-no, thank you..." the surgeon stuttered, confused by her sudden departure. Maria pretended to have trouble deciding on what to take from the fridge, too nervous to be right beside him when he opened his present. Her gift to him had been something of a crap-shoot; what exactly were you supposed to give to someone with so few memories? All she really had to go off of was the time they'd spent during the throes of the Rosalia virus, and that wasn't much...

She heard the rustling of tissue paper, then all noise from the couch ceased. Maria stood frozen with the fridge door open, physically separated from him, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

"Are these...?" Despite herself, Maria peeked over the fridge door. CR-S01 sat completely still, fixed on the contents of the bag. Something about his response put a dent Maria's apprehension. She grabbed a bottle of beer and rejoined CR on the couch. He didn't even look up as she sat down beside him. Held delicately in his hands were two little, square paper bags. A picture of a familiar bunch of orange flowers decorated the front of each one.

"Asclepias seeds." CR-S01 looked up at Maria. There was a glimmer of sadness in his eyes, but the most genuine, most thankful of smiles cancelled it out entirely. "Just like..."

"Just like Rose grew." Maria finished for him. The couple stared at each other, remembering different fragments of the little girl who had changed their lives so much. Rescues, meaningless conversations, Christmases past. Beginning. Maria could see little Rose's young face saying the same word she'd told the paramedic from beyond her blue-flowered grave, except now, her magenta eyes were bright with hope. Beginning. The start of new things. The birth of something new with a certain raven-haired surgeon.

"Thank you, Maria." A faint pressure on her cheek threw Maria's train of thought right off its tracks. She stared at CR-S01, the aftermath of the kiss wreaking cherry-red havoc on his face. His crimson eyes refused to leave her emerald ones, saying more than his mouth ever could. _Thank you so much._

"Merry Christmas, moron." Maria grinned, before returning the kiss to the lips they came from.


End file.
